Slip and Fall
by IfStarsCouldCry
Summary: When Temari moves to konoha with her brothers, and is forced to work with the no good, lazy bum, super annoying shikamaru, who she hates. will that hatred last for long?
1. Chapter 1

Slip and Fall

I won't fall in love.

I can't.

I promised myself that I wouldn't.

But how could I? I'm strong, and my heart isn't weak like all of the other girls.

If I fall in love, ill just get my heart broken like it has been every other time, but I won't make that mistake again.

Never again will I let myself fall apart.

Never again…

"I can't believe that we are being forced to move to Konoha." Said a girl, around the age of 18. She was an average height, with blue-green eyes and sandy blonde hair bulled back into four short pigtails. She was wearing a black kimono with a read sash, and carrying a large iron fan.

``Relax, Temari. `` Responded Kankuro, Temaris` brother. Kankuro was younger than her, perhaps by only a year. He had brown hair, which he hid under his village headband, that he wore like a hat which highly resembled cat ears, and was wearing all black,

They continued walking through a dessert on there way to Konoha with their younger brother Gaara. Gaara had brick red hair and bright green eyes. He was most defiantly the shortest of the group of three ninjas, and the youngest for that matter as well.

After three full days of walking, the siblings from the sand arrived at the main gate to enter the village hidden in the leaves, or Konoha. When they entered the gate, they were greeted by Shikamaru, one of the shinobi of the village hidden in the leaves.

"It's a drag, but I was told to come and get you guys and bring you to the Hokage." He said lazily. Temaris thoughts about him came to her easily.

"What a lazy bum. How could have he even made genin? And to even make it to chunin, is rather remarkable its self. "She thought to herself, staring at their greeter. He was a bit taller than her, around 16. His jet black hair was pulled back into a neat ponytail, with narrow brown eyes looking at the puzzled Temari,

"What's your problem?" She said, as a response to Shikamaru's stare and lack of movement. "Are we just going to stand here all day, or are you going to get a move on?"

"In due time, Princess."


	2. Chapter 2

I will not fall in love like any of the other careless boys in this village.

How could it even ever happen to me?

I know that it will just end in disaster.

It will make my heart weak.

I won't let that happen.

Never again…

After walking through the village with her brothers and Shikamaru in dead silence for a whole ten minutes, Temari finally cracked.

"What was with the princess thing?" said a rather confused, and also annoyed Temari. "I am not a princess. I am probably the farthest thing from a princess that you could get!"

"Say whatever you want, act all tough, but you are just denying the truth." Answered Shikamaru, trying to hide his blush, as she was acting so very cute, but Shikamaru was definitely not going to show that he may just like this girl, maybe just a little.

"Well it doesn't matter to me, not one bit. Just because I will be living here doesn't mean I will actually have to talk to you ever again" Temari stated stubbornly.

"On the contrary. You will have to talk to me quite some bit if you are living here." Shikamaru replied slyly.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Temari questioned.

"Well, if you are going to live here, you will need a job to support your two brothers here, considering that you are the eldest. In fact, Lady Tsunade took the liberty to set you up with a job at the academy, and you actually will be working with me for now on." Answered Shikamaru. "Anyways, we are here at the Hokage's office. After you confirm to Tsunade that you have arrived safely, I will escort the three of you to your new house." He said, as he opened the door for the group of siblings, then stood outside and waited for them outside.

Once they finished up with Tsunade, the three Sand Nin left the building and met up with Shikamaru, who walked behind them lazily.

"You know, we do know the way, you don't have to come with us" Kankuro said, turning around to look at Shikamaru.

"But I said that I would escort you, and besides, I'm heading this way too." Answered Shikamaru.

"So you live by us? I don't want our sister to get lost on her first day of work. After all, Kankuro and I still should try to get jobs tomorrow, and it might be rather beneficial if we didn't have to make sure that our sister doesn't get fired." Gaara calmly, as Gaara wasn't the type of person to over react about things.

"Yep. In fact, I am actually right next-door to you, so I will make sure she gets to work on time today, and every other day for that matter. Anyways, this is my house. Yours is the one on the right. And Temari, classes start at 8:00, so try to get up for 6:00 at least, because we need to be there an hour early. See you." Said Shikamaru, as he waved back to them coolly.


	3. Chapter 3

I don't like you.

At least, I don't love you.

Why would I?

You are just so lazy and annoying.

I'm not going to fall in love, especially with you.

Never again…

BEEP! BEEP! BEEP! At precisely 6:00 am, Temaris alarm clock went off, as usual. While she tied her hair back the same way as every other day, she looked out her bedroom window just like she used to do back in the Sand Village.

"Oh, that's just great. The view from outside my window looks directly at _**his **_house. _**His **_window." Temari thought to herself, then started walking towards the stairs, and while she passed both of her brothers rooms, she paused and thought "oh, how lucky that they don't have a window that faces _**that**_ house." And then resumed walking down the stairs to get breakfast before she headed out to work with _**that**_ person.

Then, Temari left without a word and started walking down the street.

"Hey! Temari!" Shouted someone running up from behind her. "wrong way, princess." He said. Temari turned around, and sure enough, it was Shikamaru.

"I wasn't going the wrong way, I was just going a different way. But if you insist that there is a faster way, than I guess that I will just have to follow you." Temari covered, "And stop calling me princess!" she shouted, as she turned around and went the other way, not looking where she was going.

Then suddenly, she tripped over a rock and fell backwards. Temari was expecting the crash while she was falling, but it never came.

"What?"

Looking up, she saw the face of someone she knew. It was Shikamaru.

"You really should look where you are going. It wouldn't be good if you came home later all beat up." He said, looking a little concerned, which was a strange look for someone as lazy as Shikamaru.

"Sigh. Thanks a lot Shikamaru, really, but I can look after myself. And shouldn't it be the older one of us looking out for the younger one rather than the other way around?" Temari said, "though its not like I actually care what happens to you, but…"

"But what?" replied Shikamaru, helping her up, and Temari dusted herself off.

Just then, two girls ran up to them, one with bleach blonde hair, the other with bright pink hair. "Hey! What's up?" said the pink haired one. "Oh, hi by the way, I'm Sakura, and this is Ino." She said.

Then, Ino said, "Oh, are you the new girl who moved in next to Shikamaru from the Sand?"

"Ya, that's me." Temari answered, and then looked at her watch. "Shoot! Its already 6:50? I'm going to be late! Well, I'll see you guys later I guess! Come on Shikamaru, let's go!" She yelled as she grabbed Shikamarus wrist and rushed towards the academy.

They arrived at the academy right on time. "So, where do I go now?" Temari asked Shikamaru.

"You will be in the same classroom as me." He said, rubbing his wrist that was red from Temaris grip. "Good thing too. I wouldn't want this little princess to get lost in the school, especially since it is your first day here."

"First off, I told you not to call me princess, secondly, I am not that much shorter than you, and finally, what makes you think that I would get lost?" Temari said.

"Nothing at all, you just seem like the type of person who gets lost really easily and this is a large school." Shikamaru answered, then started to walk down the hall.

"Hey, where are you going?" Temari shouted to him.

"To the classroom." Said Shikamaru, pointing at a room down the hall.

"Oh." Temari said, blushing from how stupid she sounded. "It was so completely obvious that that was where he was going. Why didn't I guess that? He wasn't going to stand there and talk to me in the hall all day, now was he? I am just so stupid sometimes. But why should I even care about how I sound in front of him? I don't even like him that much." She thought to herself, then she followed Shikamaru down the long hallway until they reached a staircase, and then walked in silence until they where on the third floor, and then walked to the classroom with a door labelled "305". Then, Shikamaru unlocked the door and they entered into the classroom.

"Now what?" Temari asked.

"We wait for the class to get here. They will probably be at least another 45 minutes." Shikamaru responded, as he walked over to the teacher desk and sat down.

"45 minutes!" Temari said, sounding both shocked and annoyed. "Then what was the point of coming out here so early?"

"Well, this way, we won't be late. And besides, I can get to know you better. Come on, sit down over here next to me, Princess Temari." Said Shikamaru, smiling up at Temari.

"Fine." Temari said, slightly frustrated with Shikamaru, as she moved away from the sliding door and towards the desk at the front of the large classroom, and sat down on a second chair that was beside him. "So? What do you want to know about me?" asked Temari.

"Anything, really," Said Shikamaru Nara, "What's the Sand Village like, are you enjoying Konoha, do you have any hobbies, what's your favourite fighting technique… are you in love with anyone?"

"In love? What makes you think that? Of course I'm not. Why would you want to know that?" Temari said, surprised by the question.

"Well, I got to protect my little princess here, and make sure she doesn't get hurt." He said with a kind smile.


	4. Chapter 4

Why do I like you?

My princess, where does my love come from?

I've tried to avoid it,

But here it is now, because of you

And never again shall I try to deny it,

Never again…

"Shikamaru Nara, I can take care of myself, I am no princess, and I am most defiantly not yours." Temari stated, standing up trying to sound more mature than she really is.

"What makes you so sure? "Responded Shikamaru, who then also stood up, grabbed Temari and pinned her to the bare classroom wall. Temari blushed a deep red looking strait into the boys serious brown eyes, before attempting to get out of his grip.

"Because… I… do." She said, shaking off the leaf ninjas grip, then walking back down to where she was sitting before, but this time she moved her chair a bit away from where Shikamaru was sitting. "What was that for?" she asked in a very irritated manner.

"I was just making my point that you need to be a bit better at protecting yourself. I don't want to have to worry about you all the time. I've got better things to do." Shikamaru said in response to the girls question.

"You mean like sleeping all day long? That's very productive." Temari said sarcastically. "Anyways, when will those students arrive? I'm getting rather annoyed with having to put up with you for this long."

"Another few minutes are all. The earlier ones should be here any second." Shikamaru said. And just as he predicted, within moments there was already a group of children who had just entered into the room.

About 10 minutes later, the classroom was full and Shikamaru was already addressing the class about how Temari would be helping out with their training.

"This is Temari. She moved here from the Village Hidden in the Sand along with her two brothers. Temari here will be teaching the class alongside me." He said to the class. "Be nice to her, ok?" during the whole speech, Temari had a fake smile on her face, trying to hide how aggravated she was at the moment with Shikamaru for pinning her against the wall.

"Why the hell did he do that? I doubt that he was actually trying to prove a point." she thought to herself, continuing to try and hide her annoyance. "Oh! Maybe he actually likes me! Well, that's just great. "

Later, after the school had ended, Temari was walking home all by herself. As she looked around, she could see that almost everyone in the village was with someone special to them. "Maybe love isn't all that bad," she thought, as Shikamaru walked up to her.

"What's the matter Temari? You look kind of out of it." He said, looking at the blonde girl standing in front of him, starring into the distance, not really paying attention to what was going on.

"What? Oh, hi Shikamaru. How long have you been standing there?" Asked Temari, who was still acting a bit weird, but Shikamaru thought that that must be normal for her.

Then, the two walked a little farther and ended up at there own homes.

"Goodnight, Shikamaru!" Temari said in a sing-song kind of voice, waving and smiling at him.

After walking inside, Shikamaru kicked off his shoes, walked upstairs, and crashed on his bed.

"What was with her?" he wondered, starring at the ceiling. "She was acting a bit strange today. Maybe something is wrong, and she is trying to cover it up?" The boy thought about it for a minute longer, than shrugged and walked over to the window, and peered outside.

He saw Temari, dancing around the room with a stuffed animal, one that happened to look like a ferret. Her room had walls that where painted a pale purple, and she had ebony black and bright red sheets laid delicately on her neatly made bed. Her beautiful iron fan was hanging on the wall next to her dresser, which on top had her Sand Village headband, which shined brilliantly after just being polished. In the corner of the room there was a wooden desk with some brightly coloured gel pens and various colours of stationary. She also had a large bookshelf, filled with various handbooks and technique scrolls, as well as a few novels and some manga. The carpet on the floor was a light cream colour, and of course, in the center of the room, was Temari, with her sparkling blue-green eyes, and her soft blonde hair.

"Hmm… Temari is acting strange. I did not take her as the type of person to be so happy-go-lucky." Shikamaru said to himself. "Wait a minute. She ISN'T the type of person to act like that. Something is not right."

He rushed out the door and over to the sand siblings' house, then knocked on the door. Kankuro answered it. "Have you noticed anything strange about your sister today?" Shikamaru asked Kankuro.

"Strange? Why?" Kankuro answered.

"Well, she was acting all nice and smiley towards me, and when I looked out of my window, she was dancing around her room smiling, and I just am thinking that that is really out of place for her." Shikamaru said.

"That is very unlike her. Do you think that? " Kankuro said, very troubled by the situation.

"Yes, I do." Shikamaru said.

The two boys rushed up the stairs of the house towards Temaris room, and slammed open the door.

"Oh, no!"


	5. Chapter 5

My dear Princess,

Where have you gone?

How could I have let you get so very far out of my sight?

Or rather, how could you have left me to be all alone?

If only there was a way to get you back home.

Or is there? Please, someone just tell me what I have to do.

What to do to save you…

I will never again let this happen…

Never again…

"Oh my god!" Shikamaru gasped, then Kankuro left to go get Gaara.

The room was empty, and the window was wide open with the pink curtains fluttering in the wind. The room was completely trashed, with shattered glass from the mirror and a few photo frames that where broken. There was blood on the pastel coloured walls, on the cream carpet, on the closet doors, and the curtains. The fan was lying open on the floor, and the pillows were all cut up, with feathers everywhere.

"What happened here?" Gaara said, as he and Kankuro entered the room.

"By the looks of it, a battle. Over here there are signs of limping, so at least one of the people who were fighting here has been injured." Shikamaru said, trying to hide his sadness and anger. Who would have tried to hurt his princess? Why would they? And how could have anyone had a fight that was this gory so silently? Surely one of the to brother should have noticed, and Shikamaru was looking directly towards this house and into this very window just a few minutes ago. Then the thought occurred to him. "Everyone, be careful. I believe that we are in a genjustu." He said.

"Genjutsu? What makes you think that?" Kankuro asked.

"No, he's right." Gaara told his brother. "If we were not in a genjustu, then we would have noticed this fight, and came to help."

"Release!" The three boys said in unison, then turned to one another.

Well, now what do we do? Should we go inform Lady Tsunade?" asked Kankuro.

"THERE'S NO TIME! WE HAVE TO GO AFTER HER! DO YOU HAVE ANY IDEA WHAT COULD HAPPEN TO YOUR SISTER? SHE COULD BE KILLED!" Shikamaru yelled, then slowly calmed down, and said, "Please, we have to save her, I promised myself that I would…", and then he collapsed, grabbing his heart, coughing.

_Sorry for the short chapter, but I actually cannot make this one any longer, or it actually won't make any sense. But anyways, I am willing to do a fan fiction for almost any anime/manga/Harry Potter pairing, as long as I know the characters, more or less. So please PM me your requests on my profile!_

_~sayonara~ _

_~~IfStarsCouldCry~~_


	6. Chapter 6

Mystical pond, beautiful river,

Please, tell me where I need to go,

Where to go to save him.

Please tell me, is he alright?

Please, keep him safe for me, as I cannot do it myself.

And, in return, I promise,

That I will stop this curse,

That I will never let this danger come to anyone else ever again,

Never again…

"My beloved Shikamaru, please forgive what I am about to do, but it is for your safety." A beautiful princess whispered, peering into a dark bedroom. Inside was one of the castle servants, who slept soundly. That servant was Shikamaru.

It was the middle of the night, and the princess was planning something. She snuck into the bedroom, and stole a single knife, that was hidden under the pillow, then left and ran to the palace kitchen.

She took three loaves of bread, some butter, cheese and a few ripe apples, then threw them all into a basket, which she covered with cheese cloth, and then left with the basket and the stolen knife to go to her own elegant bedroom.

With the knife, she cut her own delicate arm, spreading and splattering her blood all over the room. Then she continued cutting herself on her legs and she cut one slit on her face, then again spread the blood around everywhere. She took the beautiful, white, wall fan with three purple dots, or moons, and put a streak of blood across the center.

She used the bloody knife and tore her pillows and her curtains, then made a rope out of some of the clothes in her huge closet. Then, before she left, she changed into peasants clothing, washed the blood off of the knife, and left out the window down the rope with her basket of food and the knife in hand, as well as two empty bottles and a small purse filled with money.

The beautiful Princess ran through a beautiful rose garden, and stopped in her tracks. Childhood memories flashed into her head of this very garden. Memories of playing in the garden with her best friend, Shikamaru. Princess Temari smiled, them walked over to one of the bushes and picked twenty roses, then put them in her basket, and continued down the path and out the palace gates.

When she finally made it out, she sprinted down the streets of the town, until she was out of the village and by a gorgeous pond, which shined a beautiful shade of dark purple in the twilight. She could see the pure white moon in the reflecting in the clear undisturbed water. She smiled, starring at her reflection, but as she looked closer, she realized something, and her smile slowly disappeared. Her own reflection faded away and all she could see was Shikamaru. He had just woken up, and was running around the castle, searching for something. There was no sound coming out of the pond, but she could see him mouth nine words. Nine simple words. "Where are you? Please come back to me, please!"

Temari started to cry, and her clear tears fell into the shining water, disturbing the picture. And then, everything was gone. The pond was clear, only her reflection was looking up at her.

"I am very sorry, but I don't want you to get hurt." She said. Then, she gathered some of the pond water in the bottles, and put the bottles in her basket as well as her knife, which was still in her hand.

Princess Temari ran off again, still crying slightly, trying to wipe away the tears that fell out from her sparkling blue-green eyes.

"Its for your own good. For your protection. I have to protect you. To protect you…" she told herself as she ran.

Soon, she reached a town that was far enough away from the kingdom. She decided to stay here, as it seemed like a calm quiet place that would be hard to find for anyone who looked here. By then it was almost the break of dawn, so she decided to curl up in a small, empty, alleyway and get a little sleep and look for a job in the morning when she woke up.

* * *

><p><em>ok, so if you couldn't figure it out, this chapter takes place in a different time period than the other chapters. this one takes place a few hundred years before, so please no weird reveiws about how this chapter makes no sense, because i just explained it. anyways, i am still excepting requests for new stories, so please request your little hearts out. as you can probably tell, this is most likely to be one of the longer fanfictions, seeing as i am already on chapter 6 and i still have a lot to cover and explain. this chapter probably explained the Princess thing that Shikamaru was doing in previous chapters, but there will probably be at least one more chapter that takes place in the few hundred years before time period.<em>


	7. Chapter 7

I have ran away.

But please forgive me,\

I just don't want you to get hurt.

The curse that is one me, will probably cause you to be killed

If you were killed, I would never forgive myself,

Never again…

"Hey, you there, wake up!" said a voice, one that was childish sounding, sweet and innocent. Temari looked up, and staring down at here were two adolescent boys, both the same age. One had sleek ebony black hair, and black eyes. He was standing a bit off to the side, his face was handsome, yet emotionless. The other had messy blonde hair and bright blue eyes. This boy was smiling at Temari.

"Who are you?" Temari asked the two, standing herself up straight and brushing off her dress. Now as she got a better look at them, they looked very poor. They had clothes that were torn here and there and where covered with dirt.

"I'm Naruto and he's Sasuke!" Said the blonde.

"What's with this kid?" Temari thought, she said, staring directly at this boy. "Naruto." That was his name. He is so very pour, but yet he was just so happy? It makes no sense.

"Your arm. Is it ok?" Asked the other boy, Sasuke, trying to be nice.

"Oh, its fine. I just cut it a bit while I was running awa….. I mean while I was traveling here! As well as my leg, but they will be fine."

"Are you sure? I can wrap it up for you if you want." He said, then looked around for something to use, then picked up a cloth that was lying on the street, and wrapped it around her arm, and ripped a bit off to use for her leg.

"Thanks. By the way, my name is Temari. Nice to meet you!" she said, and was about to curtsy like how she was taught to in the palace, but then quickly remembered. "I'm not in the palace! Better be careful about how I act towards the people here, or they might find it funny that I act like royalty if they don't think that I am, and that might ruin the whole plan!" she thought to herself, and resisted from using her manners the way she was taught to.

"Oh! Are you two hungry? I have loads of bread here, and I don't mind sharing." She said, smiling. She was enjoying sharing with her new friends, as it was very new to her. She never had to share with her brothers in the palace before, so it was a bit refreshing to be able to.

The three sat together in the alleyway and talked and laughed as they ate the bread.

Meanwhile, back in the castle,

"Any sign of Princess Temari?" one of the head knights in the castle asked the servants, who where all sent out to look for her. "No sir, but I went to her chambers and there was blood all over the place. I believe that someone must have taken her." Said one of the servants. It was Shikamaru. he was defiantly the most worried of the group, but trying to hide his sadness and anger.

"Well, just don't stand here, you stupid idiots, go and alert the king and the all of the neighbouring villages! We can't waste anymore time!"

"Yes sir!" They all said in unison, then quickly ran off. Almost as if it was fate, Shikamaru was sent out the same path that the Princess had taken as she ran off.

"I hope I am not to late. I Have to save her, I can't let her be killed." Shikamaru thought to himself as he ran. He stopped at the pond just outside of the town. Peering into the water, he saw Temari. She was dressed in rags, and was covered in dirt, from head to toe. But yet, she looked happy. She was with to people who Shikamaru did not know. But before he could see who they where, the water cleared and all that he could see was his own reflection. "Damn it!" He said, as he splashed the water. It changed to soon. Now he won't know who she was with. He didn't even know if she was headed in this direction.

But, just then, he saw something shine from within the water. Curious, Shikamaru leaned to pull it out. The water was very cold on his skin, but he continued dipping his arm in trying to reach whatever it was. When he finally pulled his arm out of the water, that was Shimmering in the light of the mid-day sun, he had the object in his hand. It was a pretty hair clip. The clip was light blue in colour and had a beautiful flower attached to it.

"This hairclip. It's the same one I gave Temari for her 18 birthday. It was always with her. She must have went in this direction. I should hurry." He said, then ran off towards the small village a bit ahead.

Meanwhile, Temari had spent the entire day with Naruto and Sasuke. Temari had to make a fake story up so not to cause a commotion about how she was actually the Princess of the land. Instead, she said that she had traveled to this village to look for a few special herbs that where only found in this area, and how she needed to gather a lot of them to make a medicine for her sick mother. Luckily, the to boys believed her, and said they would help her find the herbs.

"Sadly," She said, "Quite a few of the herbs I am looking for only come out once every three years, so I am supposed to live here to gather them when they come out so that we don't miss the season for them. They have enough to last until then, but if I miss this season, she will surely die, so I have to stay here for another few years until it is the time to collect them." Temari lied, astonished about how the two boys, who had lived in this town for there whole lives, actually believe her about the made up herbs. "But that means that I will stay here for quite a bit longer, so at least I made a few friends already. Otherwise it would be a very sad and lonely three years for me. But it is such a long journey from where my family lives, and most of them are to old to be able to survive the trip"

"Well, don't worry, we will be your friends! Plus, you could also hang out with the rest of the gang." Naruto said to her, with that same smile that had been on his face for the entire day.

"What gang?" Temari asked.

"Well, there is a whole bunch of us. We all live together in this house on the side of town. We built it ourselves. It is hidden. Most of us are either orphans, or we ran away from home, and the occasional of us just wanted to live with the rest of us, wanting some friends instead of just having to live with there parents for there whole lives, with no control over what happens to them. They wanted to be free. Naruto and I are both orphans. You could stay with us, if you want." Said Sasuke coolly.

"Orphans? That's horrible! These pour, pour, children!" Temari thought to herself, then said, "I am very sorry about your parents. But, of course, I would love to live there with all of you. That sounds wonderful!" Temari said, smiling at them. "At least since it's hidden no one will find me." She thought to herself.

"Come on! It's this way!" Said Naruto. The three walked out of the alleyway into the busy street. There were people headed in every direction. Now that Temari got a good look at the place, as she didn't have the chance the day before because it was so dark, she realized that this town was really very beautiful. There where cute little tailors and bakeries around every corner. Suddenly, the three turned down into another dark alleyway, until they reached another street. This was obviously the center of town. Here was the location of town square. In the center there was a huge fountain with shimmering, clear, water showering down. There where small little roads that lead to practically any part of town you wanted to visit.

The three ran through the one strait across from where they where standing, which seemed to lead to a dead end.

"There isn't anything here, just a brick wall and a few boxes you know." Temari said, very confused with the two boys.

"What makes you quite so sure?" asked Sasuke slyly, as he slid the largest block and, sure enough, was a secret tunnel.

They snuck down and slid the box back into place. Temari was very happy with how well hidden this place might actually be, despite the fact that this was a very creepy tunnel, but if this was what it took to prevent Shikamaru from getting hurt, than this is what it took. Temari, Naruto, and Sasuke climbed up a wooden ladder at the end of the tunnel.

"Close your eyes!" said Naruto, as he pulled back a large curtain. "Now open them again."

Behind the curtain was a huge building. As they opened the door, Temari gasped. It not only looked huge outside, but the size _INSIDE _was huge! It wasn't split up in a way like there was a separate room for everything, like inside the palace, but it was split up into a main room and several separate bathrooms. In the main room, there were fifteen hammocks of various colours and patterns hanging from the high ceiling. There was a fireplace with a large pot and a flat piece of metal overtop, to be used as a sort of grill. And, as well, there where so many children and teens running around.

"Welcome home." Sasuke said with a slight smile.


	8. Chapter 8

If only…

If only there was a way to get rid of this curse

That is all I want…

All I ever wanted…

For you to be safe…

I'm sorry…

How could I have let you get hurt…

I never wanted this to happen…

I will never again let anyone else fall victim to the powers of this evil curse…

Never again…

"Wow, this place is amazing! You guys built it all your self?" Temari said, looking around the enormous room.

"Sort of. It was originally me and Sasuke here when it all started. We were best friends, both of us orphans, my parents both died when I was born, Sasuke's parents where brutally murdered a few years before. We were living on the streets, in a alleyway on the edge of town, living off of the scraps of food that we found behind of the local inn. Then, we thought of an idea. We had no shelter, so why not build ourselves a house? Or, at least, a small shack? We traveled all over the town, until we found an empty space on the edge, hidden from the hustle and bustle of the village. So, we started to build" Naruto said.

"We gathered up wood from the forest behind the town. While we where out there, we found three other children, two of them around our age, and one younger. They were all curled up and sleeping at the base of a huge cherry tree, in full bloom, with fallen petals of a light, rosy pink scattered all over around them and over their heats. All of them had the same pale skin and large blank eyes. They all had slightly different hair colours, but they where all dark. The eldest, the boy, had long, dark brown hair. The second child was a girl with short, blue-black hair, and the youngest was a small girl, cuddled up next to her older sister, with hair of a darker shade of brown, which was long as well, but not quite as long as the boys." Sasuke said, continuing from where Naruto left off.

"We woke them up, and asked where their parents were." Naruto said. "And they answered 'we ran away from home'. We asked them if they would help build our new home, and in return they could stay there with us. They accepted our offer and helped us gather up wood. We asked them for their names. The boy was Neji, who was the cousin of the two girls, the elder sister was Hinata, and the youngest of the group was a girl named Hanabi. "

"So, the five of us built a huge building. We came up with the idea of making it very large so that in case more children joined us in our home, there would be enough room. And that was exactly what happened. There are fourteen of us living here, and you will be the fifteenth." Sasuke said, finishing off their story.

"It's even more amazing that it was only five of you building this, not the full fourteen, you know. And that was a brilliant story. How long did it take to build?" Temari asked.

"About a year. We first built the tunnel underneath and the brick wall to hide us from anyone who would try to use where we were building. We slept in the tunnel until it was finally done." Naruto answered.

Meanwhile, Shikamaru had made it to the village. He looked around for a bit, down the street, and in various alleyways, until he spotted something. It was a handkerchief. It was Temaris`. "She must have been here." He said, then looked to see where he was. He was in front of a large brick wall. He searched the area, looking under some crates that where piled up. Under one of the boxes, there was a trap door. "How strange. This shouldn't be here. Unless…" Shikamaru feared for the worst as he opened the door and jumped down.

It was a tunnel, long and dark, mildly lit by a few weak torches here and there. He went farther down the tunnel, until he reached a ladder, which he climbed up.

And in front of him was a small, brown door, poorly crafted out of the wood from a cherry tree. He opened the door, and was shocked by what he saw.

There was a bunch of children and teens all running around in a huge room, and they were all dressed in rags. And then, as his heart took a single beat of relief, he saw her. In the back of the room, standing beside two boys, was his princess. There was no mistaking it. Even if she was poorly dressed, and was all dirty and her hair was messy, that was for sure the Princess Temari. He ran across the room, getting strange looks from the others who obviously knew that he didn't belong there, but let him be, as they where all to lazy to bother to go chase him down. And he snuck up behind the three in the back, and put his hand on the fair princesses' shoulder. "What are you doing in a place like this, Princess." He said.

Temari turned around, and to her utter amazement, Shikamaru was standing right behind her.

"Why did you follow me? Damn it!" she said.

"Who is this?" Naruto said out of concern.

"I have to apologize, but there is no way I could cover it up now. I have been lying to you. I am actually the princess of the kingdom over, but I ran away. This is one of the servants of the palace, Shikamaru." Said Temari.

"Why did you run away? I was so worried. We all were. We thought you might have been killed, or at least kidnapped." Shikamaru said, scolding the princess.

"I ran away to protect you! I wanted you to think that I was dead. It's this damned curse!" she yelled.

"What curse?" Shikamaru asked.

"It is a fowl curse put on me by an witch when I was only a mere child. I met her when I was exploring the nearby forest. I was very cold and lost, and I ran in to her while I was trying to find my way out. She took me to her small cottage out in a hollow oak tree. She made me a wonderful soup, and gave me directions on how to get back home. I asked for a way to repay her, and she said, 'I have a way in mind.' What she thought of was so cruel. She told me that I would have to stay and live with her forever in this enchanted forest. I disagreed. I told her of my life in the palace, and how I could never leave my family and my friends alone without a trace of where I was." Temari said. "The witch got very angry. And then she thought of another way. She said that she would let me go, but she would put a curse on me. She said, that whoever I have true love for, it doesn't matter who, that they would slowly get sicker and sicker, until they finally died. Also, she said that this curse would be passed on throughout my family, to all of the first born daughters. I was foolish, and accepted her terms. But, to be fair, she told me how to break the spell. Once I have fallen in love, without ever telling my love what I am doing, I must find the single red rose that blooms again every two years in the month of June in the field of red tulips on the path that is in between the village hidden in the sand and a village by the name of Konoha. It must never get wet after picked, until it is put into a sacred bowl that has been hidden inside a suit of armour that is lined up in the main hall of the palace. In this bowl I must then pour in pure water that is from mystical pond just outside of the village. Next I must grow more red roses by planting this one in front of my home, until it grows into large bushes. Then, I must spread my own scarlet blood around the room where I sleep, and sneak out in the middle of the night. The blood must be removed from my flesh with a knife that belongs to the one I love, which I must take with me, along with a bunch of the roses that I grew and two bottles full of fresh water from the pond. Then I must run away, and I will have to stay away from you for a full three years, hidden in disguise. Then, once I return after those years, and it can't be any longer, for if it is, it will kill you, and if I see you before it shall kill you, I must find you again and, like in all fairytales, break the curse with true loves first kiss. This shall also break it for future generations. But, know, sadly, my love, you have ruined it, and soon, you… you… you…shall… die." Temari finished, and then fell down crying.

"How long do I have to live, then?" Shikamaru asked, as he bent down to comfort the crying Temari.

"You should have about five days." Temari answered.

"Then, we should use this time to write down how to break the spell, and pass it on in a book, so that every generation could try, until the day finally comes when it is broken.

So, using the money that Temari had brought with her, bought a large blank notebook in which she wrote everything that anyone should know about the curse. How it was cast, what it does, how to break it, and everything else. While she did this, she also cared for the dying Shikamaru, and tried to find a way to heal him. That was all that she needed. A way to at least slow down the death. The way that the curse killed was horrible. It cut up the victims chest with large gashes, that slowly grew. She tried everything, until, as a last, she found out how. She gently placed three of the red roses that she had gathered from her garden on top of his bare chest of his weakening body, and poured a small amount of the contents of one of the bottles over top of him. The scratches started to heal, and she repeated this three times a day, until, on the dying day, he survived, but only barely, but, only for one extra day.

On the sixth day, while she was repeating the ritual that she had preformed on every day previous, he coughed a few times, and died with his head on her lap. Temari cried for several days straight, and then, after saying goodbye to the fourteen children, left to go back home, carrying Shikamarus dead corpse the whole way.

When she returned, she was forced to marry a prince of a far away had one single child, a daughter. And when this child was old enough, Temari gave her the notebook and told her that she also has the same curse on her, and that when she is older, and has a child, to make them pass the book along until one of them finally breaks the curse. Temari still loved Shikamaru, as he was her one and only true love, thought about him every day, and tried to bare her self. Living her pointless, meaningless life, a life that she could not take any longer. Then finally, when Temari could not bare herself any longer, killed herself using the same knife that she had stolen from Shikamaru, her one and only true love.


	9. Chapter 9

What is this pain I feel?

This pain in my chest.

It feels like something is wrong.

It feels like I screwed up something.

Something from along time ago.

But what was it?

I just can't remember.

I won't let whatever it was happen again…

Never again…

"Agh!" Shikamaru yelled, as he clenched his chest and fell to the blood covered floor below.

"What's wrong?" Kankuro asked.

"Nothing. Just a quick shot of pain. It will pass. But, more importantly, I have this strange feeling like Temari wasn't kidnapped. I think that she ran away.

"Ran away? Why would she do that? Do you think that she went back to the sand village? She didn't want to come here after all." Gaara asked.

"No, that's not it. My thoughts are coming from an old fairytale that my mother told to me when I was little." Shikamaru said. "It was a story of a princess, by the name of Temari, just like your sister, who had ventured off into the forests behind the palace,, where she got lost. But, just then, an evil witch came upon her while she was gathering some herbs. The witch helped the little princess, but her aid came with an awful price. The Princess had to stay with the witch for the rest of her life. The princess begged for freedom, so the witch…" Shikamaru continued, until he got interrupted.

"Cast a spell on her that would kill her first true love if they got to close? And then pass on to every single generation? Then she tries to break it, and the servant that she fell in love with died? Ya, ya, we know that one. It was Temaris favourite story, because the princess had the same name. So what?" Kankuro said.

Shikamaru thought about how cute it was that Temari liked princesses, well, how cute it was for her to like them, just because, well, she was Temari, who really wasn't the girly type. Then, he stood up, and said, "Well, you know how the Princess ran away to break the spell?" He said. "I believe that you might be the descendants of the Princess, and that Temari ran away to protect who she was in love with. The question is, who was it that she loved? We would have to tell whoever it is ASAP, or else they might die looking for her." Shikamaru said. "It's the only logical thing to do, it will save whoever it is, as well as break the curse that is on your family."

"It seems that you are forgetting one very important detail, Shikamaru. What was the name of the servant that she fell in love with?" Gaara said.

"His name was… Shikamaru! But that doesn't mean that… you don't think that she would…she doesn't like me…what gives you that idea?" Shikamaru said. "But the difference here is that the servant loved her in return, even if she did love me. And its not like I love…her…Temari"

"You do love her, though. But, anyways, I doubt that you will want to stay away from her for the full three years, and even if you could, its not long before Lady Tsunade sends someone out to look for her, and she will probably send you." Kankuro said, patting Shikamaru gently on the shoulder.

Just then, the sound of a knock came from below. Gaara ran to get the door. As expected, Tsunade was standing outside of the door, angry.

"What's going on? I heard a loud scream. In fact, almost the whole leaf village heard it." She said.

"Well, you see…" Kankuro started, just as he and Shikamaru came bolting down the stair case.

"Temari has gone missing. Her room is covered with blood. There are no traces of her in any direction." Shikamaru said.

"Missing? Why didn't you report straight to me? I will quickly gather a group that I find is suited to helping you track her down. All of you, prepare to leave immediately. " She said, and started out the door.

"Wait!" Shikamaru said, as he grabbed her shoulder and held her back. "This mission is more complex than you think. I will most likely end up killed if I go on this mission, due to the fine details. And, me going on this mission will also most likely cause Temari to commit suicide." He said, and dropped his grip on her shoulder, seeing that she stopped moving, in the pure shock of it all.

"Why will you be killed? And are you suggesting that the others won't be? And why would she kill herself?" The Hokage said, this time talking directly to Shikamaru.

"Have you ever heard the story about Princess Temari and the servant?" He said, slyly.

* * *

><p><em>Okay, as you have probably realized, this takes place in the present time again. and it is back to where i left off in this time. I, by the way, am still accepting requests, so please PM me your pairing requests, and be sure to include the series title! <em>

_ok, thats all!_

_~sayonara~_

_~~IfStarsCouldCry~~_


	10. Chapter 10

I'm so very sorry…

But this hurts for me as well…

I didn't want to have to leave you like this.

Please, just stay safe and never go after me…

Never again…

"I have heard the story, but really, I don't think that that idiotic little fairytale has anything to do with this. It's just a coincidence that your name and hers happen to be the same as two of the characters." Tsunade said, with her hand on her hip, looking at the teenaged ninja boy with great annoyance of how foolish he was acting.

"I know you don't believe me, but is the uttermost truth. Temaris appearance is almost identical to the one of the description of the Princesses. Also, as evidence, I found this lying on the floor just before I came down the stairs." Shikamaru responded seriously. He handed the Hokage an old, thick notebook. Inside, there was slightly messy print that had the original story of the Princess, along with other notes inscribed along the back pages, each written in a different hand. They were other things that had been tried to stop the curse. Each had also written how long that their solution had held it off. The last entry had held off the curse for three months. Tsunade carefully flipped through the ancient book, and skimmed through the remedies.

"I know it might be risky, but I think that I might have figured out how to stop the curse in a different way than to wait for her to come back. But it's very hard. I don't know if I would be able to do it. There are a lot of special herbs that are not grown in the leaf village. Plus the factor that if this doesn't work, than Shikamaru will die." Tsunade said.

"Well, how about instead of us going immediately after her, we could go and find what you need. Besides, you could still go and send someone else, just I can't go. I'll do anything to get her back as soon as possible, no matter how troublesome it may be." Shikamaru said.

"It's not that easy. And even if I send someone out to gather these things, it can't be you, you will have to stay here, as we don't want to risk the possibility of you running into Temari while you are out there. Besides, even if that happens once you have gathered everything that you need to, it still would result in you dying, because this special potion should take at least four months to make, and you would already be dead by the time it was done. So I ask you, Shikamaru, to stay inside of the Village, just so you can be safe. And, she might not be out of the village yet, so you should stay in your house for at least a few more hours. There might be a few extra things that she would have to gather around town." Tsunade explained. "I will make a team to go and gather all of the extra herbs right away. And I will probably have to go with them as well, so I'll be off now." She said, then grabbed Shikamarus shoulder and dragged him off to his own house, where she opened the door, and threw him inside.

Meanwhile, Temari was running down the streets of the town, trying to find a so called pond that she was supposed to head to. The whole time she ran, she kept hoping that they would find a way to join them again, a way that would actually work, unlike all of the other solutions. But that was a stupid thought. Shikamaru may have brains, but I doubt that he would come up with a way to heal himself if he went to find her. He wasn't a medical ninja. But Tsunade was! Maybe she could come up with something or another! But that too was doubtful. Temari sighed. She knew that no one could come up with a way to stop the curse, other than the way that was given to her ancestors by the old witch. "I just hope this works." Temari said to herself as she ran.

* * *

><p><em>Yay! 10th chapter aniversary! isnt this amazing! im so proud of myself, and i hope you have been enjoying the Slip and Fall series as much as i have. I, once again, am still taking requests for pairings, and if you have one that you want me to write about, pm me the pairing as well as the series, and ill do my best to write it, and hopefully i have heard of the series and know the characters enough to write about it. i will also do harry potter, kingdom hearts and a few other video game pairings, because i really enjoy them. i hope that you all like my writing, and will continue to enjoy what i have coming up in the future. and also, in a few days, i will be able to be a BETA reader, and i wont mid being sent your work.<em>

_~sayonara~_

_~~IfStarsCouldCry~~_


	11. Chapter 11 PART A

Even though…

Even though you ran away…

And even though I know that you don't want me to fallow…

I continue to chase after you…

I continue, but… why?

Why do I still follow you…

Eternally chasing after you…

It may be dangerous, but I don't care anymore.

I don't care even if I….

Even if I slip…

And fall…

"Three years? That's no big deal. I can wait. Besides, I doubt that I could actually crack, especially under these circumstances. If my life is at steak, why would I go after her in the first place? It would be so troublesome to even bother with it in the first place. I'm so lazy, what would give anybody the idea that I would want to chase after her anyways? Plus the fact that we met just the other day." Shikamaru reassured himself, standing up after being launched into the house, that other than him was completely empty.

He looked around the room, rubbed his head and groaned. "She didn't actually have to throw me, did she? And at least not that hard."

Shikamaru walked over the window and looked outside. "how long will I have to stay in here in the first place? Oh well. I guess I'll just go to bed. I'm sure I can go out when I wake up." He said to himself, then slowly made his way up the stairs and into his own room.

The teenage boy walked over to the bed and laid down. Once again, he found himself starring up at the plain, white ceiling, then closed his eyes, trying to get just a little sleep, at least. But it still, he couldn't sleep. He continued to worry about Temari. His little princess. Was she alright? He couldn't help but worry about her. "Why?" Shikamaru thought to himself. "Why am I worried about this? Something as trivial as a girl, who I just met, who ran away of her own accord? I barely know her! And besides, it would kill me to go and save her anyways, because she is doing this for my sake! And what if it wasn't even for me? It could just as well be somebody that she has known for her whole life!"

He got out of bed and ran downstairs and outside, despite what he was told, then Shikamaru sprinted down the streets right down to the edge of town, where the pond was. "This is where I was supposed to go, right?" he thought to himself. Then he looked around. "If this was to be a true repeat of time, then I am supposed to find a hair pin, like in the story, but I doubt that there will be one. Just because it is supposed to repeat every generation, doesn't mean that the exact same things will happen. A huge amount of the things in the story have happened. But still, I have the feeling that there is something… something I need to find.

Then, he noticed a small glimmer in the water. He bent down to see what it was, and it was a necklace, with a small fan shaped decoration made out of silver, with three small purple jewels embedded inside. This was the necklace that Temari had on when they first met, and the following day. It occurred to Shikamaru that this was the sign. Like the hair pin, telling him where to go. Where to go to find Temari, his one and only princess.

Shikamaru grabbed the necklace and ran as fast as he could. Where to? He had no idea. All he could do was run. Run to wherever his instincts told him to go.

After about an hour, he stopped to see where he was. Then Shikamaru realized that he was heading in the direction of the sand village, without noticing it. He continued to run farther.

"I know that it takes about three days to reach the sand, but that's probably where she is headed. Didn't she say that she wished that she could stay there? Besides, there are probably a lot of people that she knows there who could take her in for a few years. Temari did seem likable enough for that to happen." Shikamaru said, realizing that he has been talking to himself this entire time.

After running for the full three days, occasionally taking breaks at tea houses. Once Shikamaru finally arrived at the sand, he was completely out of breath. After all, running for three days straight would certainly tire one out. He rested of a bit on the side of a building, then got up and looked around for anyone who resembled Temari, even just a tiny bit. At least it was a start.


	12. Chapter 11 PART B

As long as the wind blows…

As long as the rivers flow…

And as long…

As long as I can stay away...

Stay away from you…

Then I will promise you right now…

I'll come back to you…

"Where could she be?" Shikamaru searched and searched, but Temari was no where to be found. After hours and hours of searching, he had still not found anything. Not Temari, not even a sign.

"This is so stupid? Why am I doing this to myself? Tiring myself out, just for some girl. Not to mention the fact that I could DIE if I actually find her." He told himself, taking a rest on the side of a nearby building. "I should just give up on this." He turned to go back home, and standing right there, directly in front of his eyes, was none other then Temari. Here face was pale, and her eyes open wide, and her mouth hanging open.

"Wha…What are you doing here?" Temari said, shocked. "You can't be here… you know that… I bet you probably have figured it out…I … I don't want you to… d…d…die…" She stuttered.

"It doesn't matter. I'm the one who's going to do die, not you. Besides, life is really troublesome anyways." Shikamaru coolly responded.

"Don't think that way! I don't want you to die! Stupid!" Temari snapped.

"Whoa, relax. I'm not going to die. How did you even get that messed idea in your head. That's just some old story that you heard as a kid. Its probably completely fake. Its not true. That's just a lie." Shikamaru said, trying to calm her down. Suddenly, he burst out into an intense coughing fit. Shikamaru collapsed, and went completely unconscious. The last thing he heard was Temari yelling. "Shikamaru! Shikamaru! Please, don't leave me!"

Temari fell down as well, tears starting to form in her eyes. "no, you promised yourself that you wouldn't cry." She told herself. "He is not dead… he… isn't…dead."

Then, she decided that she should carry him to a safe place to rest.

When Shikamaru finally woke up, he was lying down is a mysterious room. Everything in this room was different. Unique, in a way. There were little different coloured bottles on a shelf in the corner, a huge stack of books, some of which had never even been opened, a few huge stuffed animals, various musical instruments, a desk with stationary, and an empty bird cage, with the door open. Also, there was a collection of knifes on one shelf, and on another there were various different hand fans. Suddenly, a gentle knock on the door frightened Shikamaru. "Co…Come in!" he said, followed by the door opening.

"So you're awake. How are you feeling?" asked a strangely calm Temari, walking in through the door, carrying a tray with some tea.

Shikamaru started to get up but suddenly fell right back down, clasping his forehead. "AAAGH!"

"Don't try to get up!" Temari gasped, almost dropping the tray, but quickly caught it before it fell to the floor. "You have to rest. I don't want you to die early."

"Wow, that is really encouraging." Shikamaru responded sarcastically. "Oh, and where are we, exactly?"

"I can't really tell you that. Lets just say, somewhere safe." Temari answered. "Anyways, I've been trying to figure out how to save you, but nothing seems like it is going to work." She said. "Oh, and have some tea. You will feel better." She said, while pouring him a cup. She handed it to Shikamaru.

He took a sip, and tried to hide his disgust. The taste was like a combination of sour milk and rotten oranges. "You can hardly call this tea!" He thought to himself, but ended up just asking what kind of tea it was./

"I'm not really sure. I just a jar of it in the very back of a cupboard. It was kind of dusty, so it might have been a few years old, and wasn't labelled either. It looked like tea, so I just made it! is it good?"

"Oh, simply delicious!" Shikamaru said, trying not to barf. "So, how long do you think I have?"

"Anywhere from two days to about a week. It's not that long, but I will do anything in my power to keep you alive." Temari said. "Now, have some more of this tea! It might help."


	13. Chapter 12 FINALE

This is all my fault…

You are lying here, dying, and all I can do is make you tea, and talk with you…

I have totally ruined everything for you…

All of your future plans…

Any hope that you had…

It's all gone…

And I don't know how…

How to save you…

SLIP AND FALL FINALE

Shikamaru spent the next few days in bed. All he could do was lie there, and every day, Temari would come in, and give him some more of that ghastly tea, and every day, she made him drink it all, one whole pot. The two talked, about various different things, like missions they have had to go on, stories of their childhood, and so on. As this was the only thing that Shikamaru was capable of doing, they spent every day like that.

On the fifth day, Temari came in like usual, with her tray, and the same pink tea pot, the same blue cup. As usual, sat down in a chair that was moved by the bed, poured him a cup of tea, and began to talk.

"So, are you feeling any better today? I doubt it though." She said.

"Well, a bit better, but I don't know how long I'll be able to live on like this. I guess I'll just have to live like this until I eventually die. But I guess it isn't so so bad, at least I have someone to talk to." Shikamaru said calmly.

"Stop it! I don't want you to leave me, and you know it, but you sound like you want to die. Stop acting so calm about it!" Temari said, sounding very upset.

"I don't want to die. Anyways, how long do you think I have?" Shikamaru asked.

"Not… Not very long…I would say you…you have about… around two or three more days." She said, tears now starting to roll down the sides of her face.

"Hey! Don't cry!" He said, sitting up and wiping the tears off of her cheeks. "I think that I might have figured it out. How to save me, that is."

"How?"

"We will both have to go to the forest where your ancestor met the witch. I think that there, somewhere is the solution. And make sure you bring all of the items. The knife, the roses, the bottles. And bring the jar of the tea that you have been making me. I also have the notebook with me, which we should also bring" Shikamaru answered.

"ok, I will go pack." Temari responded. "And I think that you should know, we are actually in the castle where my ancestors were raised. The original Temari, the one who was given the curse. The book had the justu that opens up the barrier, and how to close it again, so the forest is right outside of here. This room, is the room of the servant she fell in love with. Unlike all of the other servants who lived in the servant quarters, she was very fond of this boy, so he had a separate room."

"Hurry and pack up, and bring any personal belongings as well, then we will leave immediately after, you understand?"

"I understand."

The two left the castle, getting a little lost on the way out, but eventually making it to the forest. Before they entered, Shikamaru stopped Temari and gave her very detailed instructions. He told her that they will have to be very fast, as to avoid running into the witch, if she remained still alive. They would have to burry the book, pour the water from the pond on top, and pick off the rose petals and put them in, and sprinkle all of the tea, then cover up the hole, and the last bit Shikamaru was unable to tell Temari, because telling her would mess up the plan, and it will not work, and Shikamaru will for sure die.

The two quickly dug a hole and buried the book as well as the rest of the items. Then, Shikamaru told Temari that they have to run out of the forest and away from the castle.

"Why do we have to leave so suddenly?" Temari asked as they ran.

"Just because, princess, just because." Shikamaru answered, then grabbed her hand so they could get away faster. The two ran in silence.

Once they were outside of the castle boundaries, Shikamaru talked again.

" Ok, now we have to put a new barrier around the castle." Shikamaru said.

Both Temari and Shikamaru, being ninjas, put a barrier around the forest and the castle, and just as Temari was turning to leave, Shikamaru grabbed her arm.

"Shikamaru, what are you doi…" Temari started, but be for she knew it, Shikamaru had pulled her close into his chest and kissed her.

"That was the part of the plan that I couldn't tell you…" Shikamaru said. "You see, we had to get rid of the memories of the curse, like any record of it, anything associated with it, and make a new memory, like the memory of our first kiss."

"That…Makes no sense yet perfect sense at the same time." Temari said.

And so, they had to wait a week to see if he would die. In the end, Shikamaru did not die, and the two ended up living happily ever after… the end.


End file.
